James Milner moved joint-second in the Premier League’s all-time appearance charts after starting for Brighton & Hove Albion at West Ham United on Tuesday night.The 37-year-old, who joined Brighton from Liverpool on a free transfer last summer, played his 632nd match in the competition, moving level with Ryan Giggs.
Milner made his Premier League debut on 10 November 2002, as a substitute against West Ham, at the age of 16. That made him the second-youngest player to play in the Premier League at the time, according to Premier League website.
He then became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history when he scored in a 2-1 victory over Sunderland on Boxing Day that same year at the age of 16 years and 309 days.The midfielder went on to play for Newcastle United (2004-2008), Aston Villa (2008-2010), Manchester City (2010-2015) and Liverpool (2015-2023).
Following his appearance on Tuesday, he is only 20 matches short of equalling the record, set by former Villa team-mate Gareth Barry, with 652. Brighton have only 18 matches left now, meaning Milner cannot break the record this season.